San Antonio Police Chief William McManus (left) shakes hands with Officer Stanley Brown who accepted the department's Purple Heart medal in honor of his daughter and slain Officer Stephanie Brown during a ceremony at the Alamodome on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. Stephanie Brown was killed last March while on duty when her police vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver. Stephanie Brown's daughter, Audrey, was also in attendance for the ceremony.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus (left) shakes hands with Officer Stanley Brown who accepted the department's Purple Heart medal in honor of his daughter and slain Officer Stephanie Brown during a

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The death of Stephanie Brown, a single mother, helped focus public interest on the issue of wrong-way drivers, McManus said.

“When police officers out there trying to protect people from wrong-way drivers are getting killed themselves, then something's seriously wrong,” he said.

The attention paid to Brown's death galvanized support for a plan to deal with wrong-way drivers, McManus said. Shortly after she was killed, a multi-agency committee was convened to address the issue. Now, electronic signs on highways warn of wrong-way drivers, and lighted warning signs have been installed on entrance and exit ramps.

Stanley Brown said people approach him on the street with personal stories about how his daughter affected them. That helps, he said, but the pain still lingers.

“It's hard,” he said. “There will always be something that will come up and make you think about what happened.”